The RMAN Backup Age alert warns when the time since the last successful Oracle RMAN backup exceeds the configured threshold.
Mini DBA measures the hours since the last successful RMAN backup. It ignores system-container-only installations until a user database or PDB exists, and it ignores empty demo or user databases when the monitoring login cannot see any user tables. Alerts identify the affected database or PDB when protected user data exists. Mini DBA evaluates this alert once a minute so changes are detected quickly.
This alert protects storage and recovery capacity. It helps you find growth, retention, and backup conditions that can stop writes, break recovery objectives, or leave the server without enough working space for normal database activity.
Enable it on systems with recovery objectives and on any database where a missed backup or archive problem would require business escalation. Test and lab systems can use looser settings if they are recreated from source control or seed data.
Threshold meaning: Hours since backup. Minor threshold: 168 hours. Comparison direction: "over". Use higher thresholds on batch-heavy, development, or intentionally bursty systems where brief pressure is expected. Use lower thresholds on latency-sensitive production systems, small instances with little headroom, and services with strict recovery or availability commitments.
Run or restart the missing backup after checking storage and job history. Confirm that restore requirements are met, clear failed schedules, and make sure backup monitoring reports the next successful run.
For recovery and replication alerts, route notifications to the people who own recovery objectives. Higher thresholds can be reasonable for reporting replicas, but production failover paths normally need tighter settings and explicit escalation.
Use the alert configuration modal's Databases tab to exclude Oracle databases/PDBs that do not have a recovery objective. RMAN backup age is sampled at the instance/CDB level, so the same measured age applies to every included PDB in the protected scope. If every protected database/PDB is excluded, Mini DBA suppresses this alert.